


Reasons Not To Read Letters

by Asymptotical



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Bathing/Washing, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Tenderness, Weddings, courting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 11:39:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19722937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asymptotical/pseuds/Asymptotical
Summary: There was so much to do that Cassandra felt justified in ignoring the "important" letter from her family. She was certain that doing so couldn't have any long lasting consequences.She was wrong.





	Reasons Not To Read Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ashling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashling/gifts).



> A note to my poor exchange recipient with whom I have zero fandom overlap: I went full steam into your trope tags and spent awhile trying to figure out which pairings from my fandoms fit the dynamics you like, so hopefully this will still be enjoyable for you!
> 
> You shouldn't need to know anything about the game for this, so you can basically read it as "Princess From a Disgraced Family Branch Turned High Ranking Holy Knight/Foreign Noblewoman Trying to Increase Her Family's Influence".

Cassandra had assumed that the worst thing she had to worry about was the entire world teetering on the edge of chaos and war.

There were too many reports for even ten of her to follow up on. Blood mages everywhere. Templars acting against orders. Disappearances. Strange magical occurrences over a wide enough area that the pattern, if there was one, wasn't immediately apparent. An increasing rate of dragon sightings. Stronger and stronger demons somehow making their way out of the Fade. People faking magical disasters as an excuse to try to cover up normal murder and wrongdoing. Unrest within the Circles as paranoid Templars set harsher and harsher restrictions on the mages under their protection.

Then there were the worrying reports that Leliana brought back from Kirkwall, which just seemed like a powder keg combining every other problem they were having.

As the Right Hand of the Divine, Cassandra was supposed to be a shield between those sorts of threats and the rest of the world; the sword with which with the Divine struck down evil. She was also supposed to keep the woman _alive_ , which was increasingly taking up her time as more and more threats came to light requiring her to accompany the Divine as a guard. No matter what else happened, that was her most important duty.

So really it wasn't her fault that the 'very important' letter from King Markus lingered on her desk for weeks. She was _absolutely_ going to open it the moment she caught a chance to breathe.

The next time the Left Hand came to discuss something, she glanced at the letter before leaving. "Is that the same letter that was here last time I was here?" Her eyes narrowed. "And the time before? And also _before I left for Ghislain?_ "

Cassandra paused guiltily.

" _Really_ Cassandra," Leliana chided, reaching out for the letter and snapping open the seal. "If you don't want me to read your mail then you should at least read it yourself."

"I'm shocked you don't read it anyways."

"This particular missive was carried by King Markus' personal courier. He insisted on delivering it directly to your hands and was willing to wait as long as needed to make that happen. I'm surprised he didn't wait for your response." Leliana flipped open the letter, skimmed it far too fast for Cassandra to believe she was actually reading it, then laughed. "Ah. There it is. They know how busy you are protecting the world mmm a bit of fluff about religion and how incredibly pious they are and then they say that if given no response by, oh, two weeks ago, they'll be proceeding with the betrothal."

Cassandra froze. "What."

Leliana smiled sweetly, "Congratulations on your impending nuptials to Lady Josephine Montilyet!"

Cassandra sat down, holding her hand out for the letter.

It didn't take her long to read it. She should have just read it weeks ago.

Not that it would have mattered. Supposedly she had a choice. Realistically, most of the letter had been very carefully reminding her that while she _was_ in service to a higher power, she still had a filial duty to her family and they most certainly hadn't forgotten that. There were names dropped (carefully and politically and always in a way that was overtly positive) to remind her of favors owed or "owed" to cousins and aunts and uncles. It was clear the king, or whichever adviser had devised this particular plot, was willing to call in all of them if he needed to.

She sat back with a thump, giving Leliana a dismayed look, "Why _me_?"

Leliana smiled her 'I know everything' smile. "A number of reasons, would you like them all or just the situational overview?"

"I thought you said you didn't read the letter." Cassandra's eyes narrowed. If the Left Hand had read it and hadn't _warned_ her...

"I didn't." Leliana was the picture of elegance. "But I do, of course, know the surrounding politics."

Cassandra groaned in annoyance. "Just... what do I need to know?"

Leliana settled in a chair. "The Montilyets are very influential Antivan nobility, primarily involved in trading. While the betrothal was put forth by the current heads of the family, I imagine Josephine was in support of it."

Cassandra waited for her to continue, but she was looking at Cassandra with a patient sereneness and seemed to be expecting interaction. "Why?"

"If you believe rumor" --Leliana's tone made it clear that in this case she did-- "Josephine is currently trying to restore her family's trading rights in Orlais. While she almost certainly has enough contacts here to make it happen on her own eventually, the implication of _Chantry_ support will doubtless move things along much faster and also overcome the general Orlesian resistance to... foreigners."

"How, exactly, does marrying a _Nevarran_ overcome the foreign part? I've certainly had enough Orlesian Lords and Ladies snub me over it."

"Ah," Leliana chided. "But once it's an official matter of the Right Hand of the Divine it doesn't matter where you're from. Every good Orlesian knows that everything religious belongs to us, no matter what the rest of the world thinks or what the scripture says. King Markus' advisers doubtless saw it as a perfect chance to forge family ties with an influential family that's clearly at the edge of becoming a major naval trading power as well as capitalizing on that Orlesian perception."

Cassandra just made a disgusted noise and slid further down into her chair. This was a _disaster_.

* * *

"You know," Leliana said several days later, leaning against a shaded spot of the wall as Cassandra stomped in from training. "You could just say no, if you hate the thought so much."

Cassandra was very very tempted to say something poisonous about spies lurking in the shadows, given how well the Left Hand seemed to blend in with them, but she was entirely certain that Leliana would just laugh it off as standing somewhere cooler.

She was also entirely certain Leliana had chosen that spot for the _effect_.

So instead she just sighed. "No, I cannot."

"You're the Right Hand of the Divine. Who exactly is going to stop you?"

"The King of Nevarra?"

Leliana snorted. "You're the Right Hand. What is he going to do?"

"He could make things... difficult for a great number of people. Whether or not those people actually have anything to do with me won't matter."

The Left Hand tilted her head, a very specific smile stealing over her face. It was the 'I'm about to inform you of whom I had murdered and I expect you to take it in stride' smile. "I can make some arrangements."

"Please don't."

"It should be easily done." Leliana was looking far too thoughtful.

"Please _do not_ even imply that you're willing to kill the King of Nevarra," Cassandra hissed.

Leliana gave her an entirely undeserved incredulous look. "Of course not. But from what I know, King Markus mostly makes those types of decisions on the urging of certain advisers. If I make sure those advisers are _preoccupied_ and arrange to have an alternative betrothed for Josephine presented when they'll be in a state to accept anything that means they don't have to look at the situation..." She tapped at her chin. "They might just ignore you then. Just being able to claim you as family is politically useful. They won't throw that away for no reason."

Cassandra made a disgruntled noise. "Exactly how much chaos would that cause?"

"Technically, I wouldn't be causing any." Leliana smiled serenely. "I would just be... pushing several situations to light concurrently."

"You didn't answer the question."

She laughed. "Exactly as much as is needed."

"We aren't doing that," Cassandra decided. It was... tempting. It was so very tempting to just let Leliana send the country of her birth into chaos all for the sake of Cassandra not having to marry someone she'd never met. It was the sort of thing that would happen in her books, usually to make way for a love match instead of the evil betrothed.

But this wasn't a book, and the sort of chaos that Leliana was proposing would result in _actual deaths_. Possibly of entirely innocent people. Probably, really. There was never a time when nobles got into tiffs that didn't lead to some sort of life or death situation for the common people. As simple a thing as rerouting a resource could disrupt a village.

"Well," Leliana said after a short time of following Cassandra down a hallway. "If that's how it is, then we really need to take you shopping."

Cassandra stopped and looked at her in horror. " _Why?_ "

"You can't meet your betrothed in your normal wear and I will be shocked if you tell me you own anything but your armor, a few old tunics, and old ceremonial armor that is _years_ out of style."

"My clothes are perfectly fine."

Leliana gave her a once over. "Cassandra, you are very clearly someone whose position entails actual fighting."

"And there's a problem with that?"

"You don't really look like royalty, is all."

Cassandra bristled. "I'm a Seeker."

"Lady Pentaghast," Leliana chided, the sly grin on her face saying she knew just how much that form of address made Cassandra's skin crawl. "At the very least we need to get your ceremonial armor updated. And you'll need several outfits for non-formal meetings. And new shoes, for certain." She clapped her hands. "You have all of two pairs of boots. Neither of them are suitable. We'll need to replace those _immediately_ so you have time to break them in. A pair of slippers might not go amiss either."

Cassandra turned and walked away.

Leliana laughed as she followed, continuing to list all the _clothes_ that she'd decided Cassandra needed.

* * *

Lady Montilyet sent Cassandra letters. They were perfectly written, on exactly the right topics with exactly the right words and tone. They were completely what one would expect a lady of noble birth to send to her intended.

Cassandra attempted to respond. It was... difficult. She was certain that her stilted attempts fell far below the mark.

It was tempting to swallow her pride and ask Leliana for help, but she had _read_ that plotline in one of her books and it turned into a horribly embarrassing mess. So she tried. She might not have particularly _wanted_ this, but she refused to be the sort of person that fell into a snit over having to do her duty.

About three months before Lady Montilyet was scheduled to arrive in Orlais, the letters became a bit more flowery. One of them even included a poem. It was horribly charming and Cassandra was only saved from wilting into an embarrassing puddle over it by a brief note at the end of the letter.

A note saying that a mutual friend had told her that Cassandra enjoyed poetry.

Leliana had on more than one occasion referred to Lady Montilyet _by first name_.

She seized onto the emotion and went stomping down the hall, storming in to Leliana's office and interrupting a conversation that was probably about some sort of important espionage.

Or maybe Leliana was just making friends with someone else's betrothed. _Who even could tell_.

Leliana raised an eyebrow at her, waving away the person she'd been talking to. The agent (Cassandra assumed) gave a quick nod and disappeared from the room almost as fast as Cassandra had entered.

"Do you know Lady Montilyet?" Cassandra demanded. "Personally, I mean."

Leliana's eyebrow raised further and she reached out to tug the letter from Cassandra’s hand. After a quick scan over it, she laughed. " _Josephine_ is a very accomplished diplomat. I've had the pleasure of working with her on more than one occasion."

"You could have told me."

"Well since you seemed set on it, I thought I ought to let Josephine introduce herself. She asked me about the poetry, you know, I didn't simply offer the information."

Cassandra made a frustrated sound, tossing her hands up for lack of proper words to explain her emotions.

Leliana's smile just widened. "I also took the opportunity to reassure her that you simply are the most awkward stereotype of the honorable knight in existence so any perceived orneriness on your part should be overlooked."

* * *

The formal introduction wasn't nearly as bad as Cassandra had feared. She was stiff in her over decorated ceremonial armor (an entirely new set, since apparently the iconography on her old set was 'gauche' now) and uneasy with her ceremonial sword (not a useless weapon, thankfully, she needed to be ready to protect the Divine at a moment's notice.) but that was _always_ the case. Entirely too many people called her by entirely too many fancy names, but that was also something she could bear. It was familiar.

Lady Montilyet was the picture of elegance in a dress that was... fancy? Cassandra was certain it had been chosen with the seriousness that generals chose battle tactics. It was similar to styles she'd seen when she couldn't avoid dealing with the Orlesian Court, but clearly of Antivan make. There was probably politics involved. It was incredibly pretty.

Cassandra was suddenly almost glad that she'd been forced into her ceremonial armor. As uncomfortable as it was, showing up in her normal clothes would have been far worse.

It went... okay. Lady Montilyet was friendly and eloquent and completely in her element, as though all the formalities had been written with her exactly in mind.

The problem came after the formal greetings, when Cassandra was able to slip away for half a second to breathe only to get shoved onto a balcony by a smirking Leliana.

Two seconds later, Lady Montilyet came floating out of the door, the curtains fluttering closed behind her.

Did it count as conspiring if her coworker and her betrothed were scheming to have her alone to talk at an event that supposedly was about them meeting each other?

Cassandra decided it did indeed count. She was blaming Leliana entirely. Lady Montilyet seemed entirely too sincere.

"Lady Montilyet," she greeted, stiff and formal and hopefully not looking nearly as nervous as she felt.

"Oh do call me Josephine," she said, entire face lighting up with a smile as she reached out to take Cassandra's hands. "It's so lovely to finally meet you."

Cassandra absolutely did not melt as her heart set to fluttering.

* * *

Cassandra didn't even bother to be surprised when the Divine shooed her off the next day, telling her to go enjoy a morning with her intended. Nor when Leliana showed up to stymie the protest of the possible threat they'd been worried about the week before and how they'd agreed to have one of them close to the Divine at all times.

Nor when Josephine showed up all smiles, in a knee length dress meant for walking and with a _literal_ itinerary in her hands. She wouldn't let Cassandra see the itinerary either, which seemed ominous.

Cassandra begrudgingly put on a new tunic and old boots, ready to be dragged... somewhere unpleasant.

Instead, Josephine led her off to a bustling part of town, more traveled by richer commoners than the nobility. Cassandra frowned suspiciously at the surroundings, keeping half an eye on Josephine's coin purse and a hand on her own. With this much of a crowd, there would be pickpockets and a noblewoman would be an easy mark, though most would probably be put off by what appeared to be a bodyguard following closely behind.

Josephine pulled her along through a rough doorway, into an area that was clearly meant to be seating looking at an outdoor stage. Cassandra frowned at it in confusion as they sat down in an empty space. Josephine had mentioned liking Opera, but Cassandra was entirely certain that half the point of Opera was being far too fancy in a fancy place while singers shrieked as loudly as possible and really the whole experience sounded _miserable_. This place didn't even have assigned seating.

"What are..."

"Shh, you'll see,." Josephine reassured, patting Cassandra's hand.

Cassandra absolutely wasn't focusing on the touch. Nor blushing.

She also could not have for the life of her remembered anything about the smalltalk that filled the rest of the time until the play started. It was all a blur overrun by the sound of her own blood pounding in her ears. Presumably she'd managed answers.

And then the play finally started and it was a theatrical rendition of her _favorite book_ and she knew, with a sudden certainty that sent her mind to spinning, that she was being wooed.

The lunch, at a quiet little place that happened to carry some rare foods Cassandra often missed from home (she was blaming Leliana for _all_ of this information) confirmed it.

And then Josephine told her to wait a moment by a market and came back with a yellow flower tucked behind her ear and a red one for Cassandra and it was all Cassandra could do to manage _words_.

Thank goodness it wasn't the whole day. She was a warrior and they were out in the city! She was supposed to be alert, not staring at Josephine and struggling to talk like a normal person.

She was able to calm down a bit over an afternoon of work, but then when she returned to her rooms there was a beautiful vase of flowers waiting for her with a lovely note thanking her for the day (despite that Cassandra most certainly hadn't done anything) and Cassandra knew with a sudden knee-shaking certainty that she was already falling for Josephine.

It was a good thing they were set to get married anyways.

* * *

By the time the day of the wedding came, Cassandra had mostly gotten used to the concept. She had most certainly gotten used to having Josephine around, but there was something harmless about being flirted with by someone she liked compared to being _married to_ someone she liked.

It didn't stop her from stopping abruptly as she entered the Chantry from a side door, fiddling with an odd bit of clasp on yet _another_ new set of ceremonial armor, and looked up to see Josephine.

They were following Orlesian tradition, a decision which had probably taken many long conversations that everyone involved had been kind enough to leave Cassandra out of. That meant that the two of them and the Grand Cleric overseeing the ceremony were to be displayed all pretty by the altar before anyone else entered the room, with the Chantry sisters singing softly in the background as the guests were announced one by one.

It was going to be miserable, but Cassandra was used to standing on ceremony. Usually with the Divine taking up attention, but it would have been against long standing tradition for the Divine to officiate any wedding, even her own Right Hand's. So instead the Grand Cleric of Val Royeaux had been all too eager to step in.

Which meant that entirely too many Orlesian Lords and Ladies were showing up because it was now an Event and that made it part of The Game and Cassandra just wanted it to be over and done with.

On the bright side, the nobility was used to her being brash. She would have been worried about Josephine, but her future wife had apparently been an ambassador to Orlais not long ago so she was doubtless used to all the mess.

Which was good because there was absolutely no one else that anyone was going to look at today. Josephine was _breathtaking_. Cassandra wasn't usually one for finery, but everything about what Josephine was wearing just made her shine, from the gems sparkling in her hair to the long train of her dress that several Sisters were carefully spreading over the steps to the altar for maximum impact.

As she got closer, Cassandra had to wonder how many of the Divine's people Josephine had gotten into contact with, because her dress was somehow simultaneously tasteful and flowing and absolutely covered with subtle scripture references to match the ones on Cassandra's ceremonial armor thematically without being exactly the same symbols. She's somehow managed to avoid any images that someone could easily manufacture a fuss over either, which was frankly a miracle considering the number of scripture arguments Cassandra suffered through on a regular basis. And she'd worked in both of their family crests in a way that was respectful to the religious imagery. Most of it wasn't even visible from a distance; the metalwork and embroidery were too delicate. The vast majority of it wasn't remotely understandable to someone who hadn't spent years immersed in studying scripture. Josephine had to have hired _researchers_ for this and that was entirely too much.

Of course given that the 'family' Josephine was marrying into was more the Chantry (and all the high ranking Mothers in fancy symbolic clothing that came along with that) than the Pentaghasts, Cassandra supposed it had been considered a necessary extravagance. It was possible that Leliana or the Divine had even loaned her one of the many many people charged with designing the ever updating robes of the Grand Clerics.

Josephine was giving her a sly look, and Cassandra suddenly realized it looked like she was ogling her.

Cassandra cleared her throat, "I like your dress."

Josephine just giggled at her, eyes flicking to the Grand Cleric... who thankfully just looked amused.

She was saved by having to figure out how to talk with Josephine looking like _that_ by a sudden rush of tittering Sisters who took over the armor fiddling and pushed Cassandra exactly into place, bouncing around excitedly the whole time. By the time they were done with that, having somehow produced a cloak that was _entirely_ too long to be practical but clearly made to go with the armor she was wearing, it was almost time for the well wishers to enter.

When the procession started, Cassandra paid attention long enough to recognize the Divine and Josephine's family, then stopped paying attention when the ridiculously long names of her own family started to be announced and paid even less attention to the Orlesian Lords and Ladies. Josephine probably had someone making a list; all Cassandra had to do was stand here and look noble and absolutely not panic.

Thank the Maker that Cassandra hadn't had to wear a dress. She couldn't have borne it.

The ceremony itself was painless. If Cassandra mentally removed herself from the part where she was _getting married_ it was just another religious ceremony. She had managed to batten down her nervousness to a pleasant hum by the time she recited the fifteenth line of scripture. Usually people getting married would repeat them after the Grand Cleric, but leading the Right Hand in such a way would have been seen as an insult to the Divine. Josephine somehow had memorized every bit of hers as well, so the Grand Cleric simply stood there looking serene for ten minutes while they recited back and forth and it would have been rather funny if it Cassandra wasn't so determined to not make a fool of herself by misremembering a word. This was easy. Just another mess of formalities and later... was later.

Then, immediately after the Grand Cleric announced them joined in the eyes of the Maker, an arrow came whizzing from nowhere.

Cassandra launched forward immediately, eyes going to the Divine first as she drew her sword.

Everyone was flying into a panic, creating a mass of people, but Cassandra still spotted the person moving too confidently almost before he even moved. She leapt down the stairs, cloak trailing behind her, and moved to intercept him.

Except then he looked past her and she realized with a sudden certainty that he _wasn't_ going for the Divine.

He was going towards Josephine.

Who she had just left unguarded.

Leliana was already moving, taking out the man Cassandra had spotted with a well-placed knife. Cassandra swung back around, determined to see if there was another threat. Josephine had wisely taken shelter behind the altar with the Grand Cleric, safe from the arrows, but the crowd had started to push up the stairs and Cassandra spotted another quick-moving out-of-place form darting out of the mass.

She stumbled on her stupid cloak as she lunged for him, giving him time to turn and slash at her with a knife, but she was faster and soon he was dead on the ground.

Cassandra swung to look at the crowd once again, forearm smarting from where the assassin had gotten through a weak spot in the fancy armor. There were two more assassins on the ground, one slain by a Templar and one by what appeared to be one of Leliana's agents. Several Chevaliers and other supposed warriors had gotten their wits about them and joined the Chantry forces in looking for more threats. The bowman was nowhere to be seen.

She turned back towards Josephine, avoiding tripping on her cloak this time as she carefully moved between her wife and the dead body on the stairs, kneeling down next to her. "Are you hurt?"

The Grand Cleric answered first, shaking so hard her teeth were clattering. "We're well! Thank you Seeker!"

Cassandra really truly did not care, instead keeping her eyes on Josephine, who simply shook her head. Then Josephine motioned at Cassandra's arm in alarm. "But you _are_ hurt!"

"It's fine, just a scratch," Cassandra reassured, holding her hand out. "We need to get you somewhere safe."

Josephine took her hand, and Cassandra could feel it shaking a little even through her glove. Her wife kept her composure though, somehow seeming serene as she stood up from hiding. "It could be poisoned. We should check immediately."

"Agreed," Leliana said from behind her. "If it is poisoned, it isn't fast acting or we'd be seeing it already, but something slow could be even more insidious."

A quick glance at the Divine proved that she was surrounded by faces Cassandra knew well and quickly being escorted away. Which meant she didn't have a reason to protest as Leliana herded her and Josephine to a back room, calling for one of her agents to come with an antidote kit just in case.

* * *

The cut, once they finally got her out of this ridiculous armor, was more of a gash, deep enough to set Cassandra to cursing in annoyance.

She stopped when she caught sight of Josephine entering the room. Her wife (wife!) had been reassuring her family, under the careful watch of guards Cassandra trusted.

The fact that Leliana didn't laugh probably meant the situation was more serious than she was saying, and sure enough the Left Hand shoved a vial in her face a few seconds later. "The dagger was poisoned. Drink this."

"Do you know the poison?" Josephine asked, eyes wide but her voice steady.

Cassandra ignored them both for the moment, swallowing the bitter antidote and focusing on her body. She couldn't feel the effects of any poison, but if Leliana said it was there, then she had no reason to doubt. And many reasons to take her word for it.

She was more worried about the gash. It would need a proper healer to knit together well enough to not impede her movement, and with the mages being more and more restricted it was hard to say if there was even one in the city. They'd have to pack it with healing salve and elfroot and hope that took the healing in the right direction for _days_ before a proper healer could be given permission to leave the Circle, assuming they were at all. It would probably be easier for Cassandra to just travel _there_.

"Not by name," Leliana said in answer to Josephine's question. "We do recognize the ingredients though. It won't be fatal if treated but could cause hallucinations if not treated quickly enough."

Cassandra set down the vial, frowning at her and trying not to wince as the Sister tending to her arm started to pack it tightly with salve. "Why would an assassin use something so slow? There's plenty of poisons that kill almost instantly. They had to know we would assume poison even without the dagger."

"It could have been a warning." Josephine frowned, tapping her foot and far less traumatized than Cassandra would have expected. "Though what exactly they're warning about, I can't say."

"It could have been meant for either you or Cassandra. Or even for the Divine."

"They waited until after the wedding was over." Josephine pointed out. "That must be significant?"

Leliana gave a single nod. "It's possible. Or it's possible that the assassins and the archer were unrelated. The archer disappeared without a trace, it's possible they knew about the plot and interrupted proceedings in such a way that the marriage wouldn't be canceled but the assassins would be forced to act early."

Cassandra sighed. "Regardless, we should--"

"No." Leliana interrupted. " _I_ will deal with this. _You_ are going into a hot bath until we're certain that one of the antidotes we gave you has completely countered the poison."

For a moment Cassandra was confused about 'one of'. Then she realized that of course. It was probably in the salve.

She... probably should have noticed that. She was usually sharp enough to notice that.

"It's possible it's already affecting me," she informed them. "I'm not making connections I should."

Leliana nodded, looking a little relieved, of all things. "Then it's acting as expected. I had one of my people oversee the drawing of a bath, to be certain nothing... unintended was added. If it's anything but plain water, get out immediately."

Josephine frowned at her. "I thought you trusted your people."

"I do, but it's best to be vigilant regardless."

"Mm." Josephine shifted worriedly. "I'll keep an eye on her, then. I assume you'll be having your people guard the door?"

"I will."

Cassandra blinked as they both turned to her, mentally a little dismayed at how easy it had been to absently watch them. She was absolutely affected.

What had the assassins been planning, she wondered, that would require Josephine to lose her quickness?

"Up," Josephine said, all bossiness. "We're going to the baths. They aren't far?" The second part was directed at Leliana, who nodded.

"You're still in your pretty gown." Cassandra pointed out.

"I will very soon be out of my 'pretty gown'." Josephine countered, with half a smile. "But regardless, your health is more important."

"It'll get wet." Cassandra persisted.

"It already has blood on the train," she answered calmly, much to Cassandra's dismay.

It must have shown on her face, because Leliana snorted and muttered something about finally getting Cassandra to care about clothes before firmly grasping Cassandra's arm and pulling her off the table she'd been sitting on and towards the door. "If you aren't there in a few minutes I'll come looking," she promised Josephine, who seemed entirely fine with being left with Leliana's people.

Before Cassandra could protest they were out the door and in what seemed like a blink they were down the hallway and in a room with an oversized tub. More like a small pool. What absolute layabout of a Grand Cleric had managed to get _this_ built?

She was barefoot, she suddenly realized. At some point she had lost her new boots.

They were uncomfortable. Wherever they'd disappeared to, they could just stay there.

Leliana bullied her into undressing the rest of the way. And then bullied her into the water. Which was rather _too_ hot, but Leliana didn't seem to care when Cassandra informed her of the fact.

A few moments (minutes?) later the door swung open and Josephine was there. Her pretty (ruined?) dress was nowhere to be seen, and instead she was wearing a thin dress that must have gone under the gown.

"How is she?" Josephine asked, frowning worriedly at Cassandra.

"In and out. It should mostly pass within a half hour or so, but keep her focused if you can."

Josephine nodded. "I can manage that. Any warning signs I should look for?"

"If she falls unconscious yell for the guard immediately. If she doesn't seem to be improving in about ten minutes, call as well. I have a poisoner checking the dagger more thoroughly, so if we find anything more I'll return with the antidote. Do _not_ have her take anything that doesn't come directly from my hands."

Josephine nodded, her face set.

Cassandra somehow missed Leliana leaving the room. She assumed she had been 'out' for a moment, because Josephine was sitting at the edge of the tub, delicately stroking her hair.

Cassandra blinked up at her, then suddenly remember she was _naked_ in a clear bath and flushed, wrapping her arms around herself to preserve some sort of modesty.

"We are literally married." Josephine chided.

"Yes, well--" Cassandra wasn't good with words on her best day, but now they betrayed her completely.

Josephine pet her hair again, then slipped into the water.

The thin fabric of her dress clung to her, and Cassandra made a strangled sound.

"Would you rather I take it off?" Josephine teased, reaching past Cassandra and grabbing something... Soap and a soft cloth. When had those gotten there.

"I don't need a bath," Cassandra protested. "I haven't done anything today."

"You're sweaty and covered in blood."

Cassandra glanced down at herself. There was blood on her arm, from before they packed the bandage, but otherwise she was fine. Except for the naked part.

Per usual, this was all Leliana's fault.

"I'm not sweaty and there's not much blood."

"You've spent hours standing in a warm room wearing armor. Of course there's sweat."

"Not _that_ much." Cassandra protested.

"Regardless. We are in a bath, you need something to focus on, and thus we are having a bath. There's also blood on your face." Josephine reached out as she said that, frowning as she gently scrubbed away dots of the assassin's blood.

Cassandra was a little dismayed. Exactly _how_ much blood had she managed to get everywhere? On her face, on Josephine's dress...

It was so much easier on a battlefield. No one expected you not to be covered in blood on a battlefield.

She let Josephine bully her about a bit. It was easier, somehow, to not be embarrassed about the nakedness when it was for a _bath_.

Which was ridiculous, she thought. That was not how they were supposed to be spending the first few hours of their marriage.

At least she knew she could rely on Josephine in an emergency. She... hadn't really been expecting that. Even the most capable of noblewomen tended to panic, quite reasonably, when in a life or death situation. It wasn't something Cassandra held against anyone but she'd clearly underestimated Josephine.

Josephine gently lowered Cassandra's injured arm into the water, and Cassandra suddenly realized that she was much more aware than before.

Also still very naked.

"I think I'm more alert now." Cassandra informed her, trying to distract herself.

"Oh good." Josephine pulled back to look her fully in the face. "You look more focused. Leliana seems to have been right, then."

"She always is," Cassandra answered grumpily. "Don't tell her I said so, though, she's intolerable enough as it is."

Josephine giggled. "You're clearly feeling better. That's good. Lean forward so I can get your back."

Cassandra very much wanted to protest that bathing absolutely wasn't necessary at this point, but Josephine raised an eyebrow at her and she suddenly realized that she wasn't going to be winning any arguments at the moment. So she just leaned forward, trying not to concentrate on it as Josephine gently scrubbed at her back.

At least this way she was slightly less exposed.

And not actually dirty. Unless Josephine _actually_ considered the tiny bit of sweat from standing around all day to be dirty in which case there were probably a lot of unnecessary baths in Cassandra's future.

She tried not to shiver at the gentle strokes. It was tempting to stop paying attention, but given the way the poison had made her act, that would likely cause concern. So she stayed as she was.

Until Josephine pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her neck and she started in surprise.

"Sorry, sorry." Josephine said, gently stroking Cassandra's arm as Cassandra looked at her in reproach.

Except it wasn't really deserved, since they were _married_.

Josephine clearly was able to see what Cassandra was thinking (or Cassandra was blushing again, which seemed more likely) because she suddenly smiled slyly. "Well there's a thought. Unfortunately, with your focus going in and out I don't think it's the best idea." She sighed sightly and kissed Cassandra's temple. "When you're feeling better, _then_ we'll have some fun."

Cassandra flushed even harder.

Josephine giggled at her. "Now get your hair wet, I want to wash it."

Cassandra was tempted to protest that Josephine literally still had her own hair _sewn_ up with jewels and gold and fancy curls that had mostly gone to frizz, so it certainly wasn't Cassandra's short hair that needed washing at the moment.

But if she'd gotten blood on her face then it was probably in her hair, so there went that argument.

With a sigh she dunked her head, and then she kept her eyes closed as she came up dripping, focusing on the smell of plain soap and the feel of Josephine's hands on her head.

Josephine hummed slightly while she worked, now that the danger was passed. Or maybe she had hummed before and Cassandra just wasn't aware enough to hear it.

Later, they could think about the other... activities.

Later, Cassandra could absolutely destroy whoever had just tried to harm her wife... but that probably wasn't appropriate plotting for a bath.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Gammarad for betaing this <3


End file.
